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Outline
 Louisiana's Living Traditions Homepage
This homepage explores Louisiana's vast array of living
traditions through a variety of mediums. Take a virtual tour of the
former Creole State Exhibit, search our expansivre Photo Gallery,
read online publications and articles, view maps, and further your
understanding of Louisiana's folk traditions by tapping into our
resources page and online bibliography.
Louisiana's Traditional Cultures
Introduction
New
Orleans
South
Louisiana
North
Louisiana
Other
Groups
Conclusion
The
Creole State Exhibit
The Creole State Exhibit is a
virtual version of an exhibit that was located in the Louisiana
State Capitol from June 1985 until June 2002. The artifacts are now
on loan to the Louisiana State Museum for exhibits planned for the
new State Museum in Baton Rouge.
Exhibit
Introduction
Cultural
Conservation
Exhibit Categories:
Folk
Toys
Ritual,
Festival & Religion
Domestic Crafts
Decorative Folk
Arts
Occupational
Crafts
Folk
Instruments
Virtual Books
Folklife
in the Florida Parishes
Keeping
It Alive: Cultural Conservation Through Apprenticehip - A Review
of the Louisiana Folklife Program
Swapping
Stories
Learning
From Your Community
Gifts From
The Hills
He's
The Prettiest: A Tribute to Big Chief "Tootie" Montana's 50 Years
of Mardi Gras Indian Suiting
Splittin'
on the Grain: Folk Art in Clifton, Louisiana
Voices
of Louisiana
Articles and Essays
These articles have
appeared in the Louisiana Folklife Festival program books, the
Louisiana Folklore Miscellany, the Smithsonian Folklife
Festival program book, and other publications. They are categorized
according to subject.
General
Information
The
Creole State: An Introduction to Louisiana Traditional
Culture Nicholas R. Spitzer
Louisiana's
Traditional Cultures: An Overview Maida
Owens
Regional
and Cultural Groups
Caddo
Homecoming Dayna Bowker Lee
Cane Brakes, High Water, Drought: The Mississippi
Delta Tom Rankin
Cane River Creole Community Dayna Bowker
Lee
Choctaw Heritage of Louisiana and Mississippi
Deborah Boykin
A
Commentary: African Cultural Retentions in Louisiana Charles
E. Siler
Croations
in Southeastern Louisiana -- Overview Carolyn Ware
Customs,
Traditions, and Folklore of Rural Southern Italian-America
Community Henry P. Becnel, Jr.
East
Baton Rouge and Livingston Parishes Maida Owens Bergeron ans
Joyce Marie Jackson
Excerpts
from the Anonymous Breaux Manuscript Translated by George
Reinecke
From
Evangeline Hot Sauce to Cajun Ice: Signs of Ethnicity in South
Louisiana Barry Jean Ancelet
He's
the Prettiest: A Tribute to Big Chief "Tootie" Montana by
Kalamu ya Salaam (with an introduction by William
Fagaly)
Gifts
from the Hills: North Central Louisiana Folk Traditions by
Susan Roach
Indians
and Folklife in the Florida Parishes H.F.
"Pete"Gregory
Jewish
Folklore in Northeastern Louisiana Ben Sandmel
The
Felicianas Susan Garrett Davis
The
Florida Parishes: An Overview Joel Gardner
Hungarian
Folklife in the Florida Parishes of Louisiana Virginia
Romero
Louisiana
French Folklore and Folklife Barry Jean Ancelet
Louisiana
Native Americans: An Overview H.F. "Pete" Gregory
Making a Home in the Delta: Women and the Domestic
Environment Deborah Boykin
Mardi
Gras Indians: Culture and Community Empowerment Michael
Smith
Noms
de Bayou: French Place Names in North Louisiana Kelby
Ouchley
North
Louisiana Folklife Traditions and Research: An Overview
Susan Roach
The
Northshore - St. Tammany Parish Janice Dee Gilbert
Ouachita River
Mounds: A Five Millennium Mystery Lori Tucker
The
Piney Woods - Tangipahoa, St. Helena, Washington Parishes
Joy J Jackson
Splittin'
on the Grain: Folk Art in Clifton, Louisiana Shari Miller
and Miriam Rich
Le
Voisinage: Evolution of Community in Cajun Country Dana
David
Vietnamese
Folklife in New Orleans Kathy Kilbourne
West of
the Ouachita: Conserving the Heritage of the Pine Hills and
River Valley of North West Louisiana
Material
Culture/ Crafts and Foodways
All-Day
Singing and Dinner on the Ground Shana Walton
Choctaw Split Cane Basketry Dayna Bowker
Lee
Crafts
from the "Back Days" Claude Medford
Field Notes
on All Saints' Day, 1985 and 1986 Rosan Augusta Jordan and
Frank de Caro
Folk
Art in the Clifton Community Shari Miller and Miriam Rich Folk
Crafts: A Hand-Me-Down Tradition C. Ray Brassieur
From Custom
to Coffee Cake: The Commodification of the Louisiana King
Cake Janet Ryland
He's
the Prettiest: A Tribute to Big Chief Alllison "Tootie"
Montana Kalamu ya Salaam (with an introduction by William
Fagaly)
Georgie
and Allen Manuel and Cajun Wire Screen Masks Ronnie E.
Roshto
"In My
Father's House": North Louisiana Gravehouses as Art and
Technology Marcy Franton
"Keep Your
Mind and Your Hands Busy:" Expressive Dimensions of the Lone
Wuilter Susan Roach
Louisiana
Boatbuilding: An Unfathomed Fortune C. Ray
Brassieur
Louisiana
Cooking: A Way of Life Ulysses S. Ricard
Louisiana's Food Traditions:
An Insider's Guide Maida Owens
Louisiana
Foodways in Ernest Gaine's A Lesson Before Dying
Courtney Ramsay
Mr. K-Doe
Goes to Washington: The Monumental New Orleans R&B Star
Barnstorms the Capital City Ben Sandmel
Making Tamales in Northwestern Lousiana Dayna
Bowker Lee
Material
Cultural Landscape of the Florida Parishes in Historical
Perspective Milton B. Newton, Jr.
Textile
Uses in the Home of Central Louisiana Czechs Rose
Walker
Traditional
Quiltmaking in Louisiana Susan Roach
Music
Traditions
At Play in the Delta Michael Luster
Brownie Ford:
Lifelines of a Woods Cowboy Nicholas R. Spitzer
Cajun
Music: Alive and Well in Louisiana Ann Savoy
Cajun
Music as Oral Poetry Carolyn Ware
Clapping On Two and Four Kalamu ya
Salaam
Country
Chameleons: Cajuns on the Louisiana Hayride Tracey E.
W. Laird
"Don't
Give Up Your Day Job:" Country Music Terry A.
Seelinger
"From
Country to City: The Blues and Gospel in the Florida Parishes
and Baton Rouge Ben Sandmel
Hayride
Boogie: Blues, Rockabilly and Soul from the Louisiana Hill and
Delta Country Michael Luster
J.D
Miller and Floyd Solieau: A Comparison of Two Small Town
Recordmen of Acadiana Shane Bernard
The Hiding
and Watching Louisiana I-20 Blues Nicholas Rey
Deriso
The Gospel
Train: The Zion Travelers Spiritual Singers Dr. Joyce
Jackson
Music
in the Black Churches Joyce M. Jackson
Pretty,
Little, and Fickle: images/ of Women in Cajun Music Laura
Westbrook
The North
Louisiana String Band Susan Roach
Public
and Private Domains of Cajun Women Musicians in Southwest
Louisiana Lisa Richardson
Rockin'
the Country, North Louisiana Style Michael Luster
Since Ol'
Gabriel's Time: Hezikiah and the Houserockers Liner Notes
David Evans
Twisting at
the Fais Do-Do: Swamp Pop in South Louisiana Shane K.
Bernard
Occupational
Traditions
Big
River Traditions: Folklife on the Mississippi River Ben
Sandmel
Calling
the Cotton Press Donald W. Hatley
Deer
Hunting with Dogs Terry Jones
The McNeill Street Pumping Station Dayna
Bowker Lee
"A Man
Can Stand, Yeah:" Ranching Traditions in Louisiana Jane
Vidrine
Oilfield
Lore Ben Sandmel
Riding Clubs in Central Louisiana Lore Dayna
Bowker Lee
Shrimping
in Louisiana: Overview of a Tradition Laura Landry
Waiting for
Babies: Lay Midwives in Louisiana Maida Owens
"Willing
to Take A Risk:" The Folklore of Cropdusting Susan Roach and
Janet Ryland
"Willing to Take A Risk:" Working in the Delta
Susan Roach
Oral
Traditions
African
American Oral Traditions in Louisiana Mona Lisa
Saloy
African
American Toast Tradition Mona Lisa Saloy
Political
Pump: Political Storytelling in Louisiana C. Renee
Harvison
Still Laughing to Keep from Crying: Black
Humor Mona Lisa Saloy
The
Stories of the Old People: Native American Storytelling H.F.
"Pete" Gregory
Storytelling
Traditions in Louisiana C. Renee Harvison
Swapping
Stories in Louisiana Maida Owens and Carl Lindahl
Swapping Stories:
Folktales from Louisiana Carl Lindahl, Maida Owens, and C.
Renee Harvison
An Urban Legend: Workers
Buried in a Concrete Piling of the U.S. 190 Mississippi River
Bridge from the Smiley Anders column, Baton Rouge
Advocate
Ritual
Traditions
All-Day
Singing and Dinner on the Ground Shana Walton
Bonfires
on the Levee: A Family Tradition in Ascension Parish Carol
Gravois
Contemporary
Cauchemar: Experience, Belief, Prevention Katherine
Roberts
Dance
for a Chicken: The Cajun Mardi Gras Pat Mire
Decorating
for the Shrimp Fleet Blessing: Chauvin, Louisiana Betsy
Gordon
Field Notes
on All Saints' Day, 1985 and 1986 Rosan Augusta Jordan ans
Frank de Caro
If Your
Eggs Are Cracked, Please Step Down: Easter Egg Knocking in
Marksville Sheri Lane Dunbar
"Like A River Flowing with Living Water:"
Worshipping in the the Mississippi Delta Joyce Marie
Jackson
Louisiana
Celebrations Rooted in Tradition Jane Vidrine
Neither
Spared nor Spoiled: The Mardi Gras Chase in Choupic,
Louisiana Madeline Domangue Cagle
Ritual
Spaces in Traditional Louisiana Communities: Italian,
Nicaraguan, and Vietnamese Altars Carolyn Ware
"Take Me
to the Water:" African American River Baptism Annie Staten
and Susan Roach
Traditional
Medicines Claude Medford
The
Varieties of Mardi Gras Frank de Caro
Le
Vousinage : Evolution of Community in Cajun Country Dana
David
Folklore
and Literature
Gaines'
Fifteen Narrators: Narrative Styles and Storytelling Technique
in A Gathering of Old Men Marcia Gaudet
Louisiana
Foodways in Ernest Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying
Courtney Ramsay
Public
Folklore
Festival,
Cultural Tourism, and the Louisiana Folklife Program Maida
Owens
Keeping
It Alive: Cultural Conservation through Apprenticeships
Sheri Dunbar and Maida Owens
Learning
from Your Community: Folklore and Video in the Schools, A
Classroom Curriculum for Grades 4-8 Gail Matthews-DeNatale
and Don Patterson
Sample Fieldnotes: Teen
Memories of Grade School Traditions Maida
Owens
Self-Taught Artists
Sarah Albriton
Angels
Watching Over Me
Working in
the Kitchen
Clementine Hunter
Cotton
Pickin' Time
Henry Watson
Farrier
Louisiana Folklife Photo Gallery
The
Louisiana Folklife Photo Gallery is an online database of
photographs depicting the folk cultures of Louisiana. These
photographs include artists displaying and making their creations,
traditional festivals and practices, and the locations where folk
traditions take place such as cemeteries, houses, and churches. The
Photo Gallery includes works of many folklorists and photographers.
For more information about the photographers, see the Credits page.
Resources
This section presents a wide array of resources centered on
Louisiana Folklore and Folk Traditions.
- Streaming
Video Clips- This collection of online clips provides a
glimpse of Louisiana cultural traditions. (RealPlayer is required
to view these videos. If you do not already have this software,
you may download a free version at: http://www.real.com.
- Videotapes
on Louisiana Traditional Cultures- This is a listing of
videotapes available on loan at the State Library and various
parish libraries.
- Award-Winning Folk Artists- View the Division's
past and current award winners, program participants, and grant
recipients on this page.
- Louisiana
Music Recordings: A Select List- Want to tap your feet to a
different beat? View this page for a select listing of music
unique to Louisiana. You'll find everything from zydeco, to swamp
pop, to Cajun. Also get an overview of Louisiana music readily
available on CD by tuning into Mike Luster's radio show, Creole
Statement, heard via RealAudio, Saturdays from 7-9pm at: http://www.kedm.nlu.edu/.
- Louisiana Folklife Center- Established in 1976,
as an agency of Northwestern State University of Louisiana, this
research facility has been involved in folklife programs of public
interest. It works in conjunction with the Louisiana Folklife
Program housed in the Division of the Arts, and directed by Maida
Owens.
- Louisiana Folklore
Society- This organization was founded in 1956 and aims to
encourage the study, documentation, and accurate representation of
traditional cultures of Louisiana. Members include university
professors, professional folklorists in the public sector,
secondary school teachers, museum workers, graduate students, and
other individuals interested in folklore.
- Cultural Vistas- A quarterly publication funded
through the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, which brings
Louisiana's best literature, photos, reviews, and features to
readers everywhere.
- Louisiana Folklife
Bibliography- If you are looking for further reading
materials, videos, or audio to broaden your understanding of
Louisiana folk culture, this online database is an excellent
starting point.
- Recommended
Reading- On this page you will find a list of publications and
books on Louisiana Folklife that are more readily available. Refer
to the Louisiana Folklife Bibliography for a more through list.
- Louisiana Folklife
Theses & Dissertations- Get an academic perspective on
Louisiana's diverse folk cultures through searching this database
of theses and dissertations.
- Native
American Organizations in Louisiana- This page provides a list
of contact information on Native American organizations active in
Louisiana.
- Swapping
Stories: Folktales from Louisiana Online Resources- The
Swapping Stories book, video, and website are products of
the ten year Louisiana Storytelling Project, which documented
Louisiana Storytellers. The project began as a collaborative
effort with the Louisiana Office of Tourism's Open House 1990
Storytelling Program.
- Documenting
Quiltmaking- This page provides a glimpse of Susan Roach's
(Region 1 Folklorist) in depth research and documentation of the
Quiltmaking process as exercised by North Louisiana women. Between
1979-1984 Dr. Roach interviewed 44 quilters in 10 parishes.
- Sample Fieldnotes:
Teen Memories of Grade School Traditions- These fieldnotes and
interview transcript are provided to teachers and students as an
example of how one folklorist took a research idea and developed
it.
- Atchafalaya
Basin Annual Cycle- A Diagram of the annual cycle of folk
activities in the Atchafalaya Basin. (Used with permission from
Geoscience Publications, Department of Geography and Anthropology,
Louisiana State University).
- Louisiana
Folklife: A Guide to the State- Edited by folklorist, Nicholas
R. Spitzer, this resourceful publication provides an array of
essays and articles by university professors, academics, and
folklorists pertaining to Louisiana folklife. Spitzer was the
first Louisiana Folklife Program director from 1979-1985, and
currently teaches at the University of New Orleans.
- The Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural
Heritage- This center promotes the understanding and
continuity of contemporary grassroots cultures in the United
States and abroad, and is responsible for producing the
Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings,
exhibitions, documentary films and videos, symposia, and
educational materials.
- American Routes and Louisiana
Voices- This list is composed of just a sample of Louisiana
musicians. To listen to audio clips and learn more about the
artists and Louisiana music, visit: American Routes / Browse by Artist and search
under the first letter of the artist's last name. NOTE:
This page can be used in conjunction with the Louisiana Voices
Music Unit ( Unit VI
- Louisiana's Musical Landscape ).
- Louisiana Voices and National
Public Radio- National Public Radio provides an excellent
resource to those seeking to learn more about Lousiana music.
Listed on this page are audio clips specific to Lousiana. To
listen to these clips go to National Public Radio / Audio Archives.
NOTE: This page can be used in conjunction with the
Louisiana Voices Music Unit ( Unit VI
- Louisiana's Musical Landscape ).
- A Select
List of Louisiana Musicians- These 35 short biographies
provide a sampling of legendary Louisiana musicians who maintain
Louisiana music traditions or have been heavily influenced by
them. It is not meant to be exhaustive. They are divided into the
three major folk regions of Louisiana: New Orleans, South
Louisiana, and North Louisiana (see the Three
Major Folk Subregions of Louisiana Map). This page is also an
excellent supplement to the Louisiana Voices Music Unit ( Unit VI
- Louisiana's Musical Landscape ).
- Some Louisiana
Musicians- This list of Louisiana musicians who perform music
traditional to Louisiana or rooted in its traditions provides
additional suggestions for student research in Louisiana Voices Unit
VI Lesson 6 Louisiana's Musical Legends and is not meant to be
exhaustive. The list also includes musicians who are National
Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellows, have been recognized by
Louisiana Division of the Arts programs, or are featured in Louisiana Folklife Articles - Music
Traditions.
Louisiana Folklife Bibliography
This database includes all works cited in the Living Traditions
section of the Folklife in Louisiana website and the Louisiana
Voices Educator's Guide.
Recommended Reading
On this page you will find a listing of publications and books
pertaining to Louisiana folklife that are more readily available.
For a more thorough list, refer to the Louisiana Folklife
Bibliography database.
Maps
Three
Major Subregions>a
Nine Major Cultural
Subregions
Ethnic Group
Locales
Native American
Locales
North Central
Louisiana
More Louisiana Maps
Award-Winning Folk Artists
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